New York Times sells Israel’s next war

How hard is it for the Israeli military to launch an unprovoked war with its neighbor by casting itself as a victim of barbarianism, rallying international support and even apologizing in advance and exonerating itself for killing innocent civilians? It seems it only takes one phone call to the New York Times.

That’s right, the world’s most powerful newspaper has just published an article wholly inspired and almost entirely narrated by the unverifiable and belligerent claims of Israeli military sources. The article “Israel Says Hezbollah Positions Put Civilians at Risk” casts no serious journalistic or responsible doubt on these Israeli claims made by a military institution that has engaged in wars that have killed tens of thousands of civilians in the past.

The author, Isabel Kershner warns that Israel says “…many Lebanese civilians will probably be killed, and that it should not be considered Israel’s fault.”

But there is more. By embedding these unverified military claims into a reporting narrative, The Times writer further legitimizes such claims as newsworthy content that many readers will believe is vetted and balanced.

However a basic deconstruction of the article reveals Israeli official claims underlie the vast majority of its content and are cited as the source of 25 out of 35 paragraphs, including the caption on the photographic “evidence” which is provided directly by Israeli intelligence without question or explanation. It is not until the 13th paragraph that a vague opposing view–that of a so-called ‘Hezbollah sympathizer” is heard and only briefly. Meanwhile only one paragraph cites a Hezbollah official.

By paragraph count alone, this means over 70 percent of the article relies directly upon unquestioned Israeli claims. This does not include the headline–the most powerful narrative construction in the article, which is also based entirely on Israeli military propaganda:

So what’s the big deal? What happens when a military gets to virtually narrate a news story published and widely circulated by one of the world’s most respected newspapers?

Like all militaries, the Israeli army must perpetuate myths about the enemy to increase its success on the battlefield. Chief among these is the claim that its enemies use “human shields” — an allegation that portrays Israel at war with a barbarian enemy that does not respect human life and thus cannot be reasoned with.

The reporter, Kershner, perpetuates this myth as journalistic fact, first by paraphrasing the Israeli military claim:

“Maps and aerial photography provided to The New York Times by Israeli military officials this week illustrate, they say, that Hezbollah has moved most of its military infrastructure into the Shiite villages… Israel says this amounts to using the civilians as a human shield.”

Kershner then reinforces this claim with a quote from an unnamed Israeli official:

“The civilians are living in a military compound,” a senior Israeli military official said at military headquarters in Tel Aviv…”

Finally Kershner codifies the myth by using her own words–not a quotation– to record it as what readers will believe is a fact.

Hezbollah has sheltered in villages to some extent for many years. But Israel says the group has increasingly moved into built-up areas

Again a quote to reinforce the claim:

“At the end of the day, it means that many, many Lebanese will be killed,” said Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser now at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv.

Did you see what just happened? The reporter has quoted the Israeli source so many times she has begun to use the claims as fact: “Hezbollah has sheltered in villages to some extent for many years.”

Half-way through the article Kershner briefly states that “the Israeli claims could not be independently verified.” But this does not stop her from making the claim herself, a few paragraphs later. And as she sat and listened to Israeli sources, poring over their words and pictures for hours, did she so much as lift a finger to do a basic internet search to question or verify those claims?

Amazingly, absolutely none of this figures into the New York Times article as basic background, thus perpetuating the myth that Israel stands on a moral high ground against those who hide among civilians.

Yet instead of questioning Israeli officials, the New York Times simply propagates their rhetoric. The idea that Israel is fighting an immoral enemy is further emphasized by Kershner quoting Israel’s former chief of intelligence who says “…Hezbollah fires rockets indiscriminately.”

Again the reporter simply parrots this claim and fails to question it. Had she done some research she would find that the majority of those killed by Hezbollah in the last war were mainly Israeli soldiers while the majority of over 1,000 killed by Israel were Lebanese civilians. Wouldn’t this indicate that Hezbollah is actually targeting the military? Wouldn’t it be worth posing that question to Israeli officials when they claim Hezbollah acts “indiscriminately” and letting readers know about it?

It is a basic journalistic tenant to question the claims of those in power, to approach them skeptically not to just to parrot or paraphrase what they say.

Yet at journalism schools across the United States, students are trained to cherish and buy a copy of the New York Times every day, hailing as the “Bible” of journalism. Unfortunately I have found time and again that the paper has either misreported or completely invented stories coming out of Beirut. (See: “New York Times changes sectarian headline“). And while reporting on Palestine, the glaring unbalance–as I have reported on repeatedly– seems to be the rule not the exception.

In the Middle East, the Times also seems to routinely violate its own ethics rules on conflicts of interest. The reporter who wrote this story is actually married to a member of an Israeli think tank and their son is a soldier in the Israeli army. At least two other prominent New York Times writers also have children fighting in the Israeli military.

I wonder if The Times would ever hire someone whose spouse or child fights for Hezbollah? Would the Times ever even consider writing a whole story based on Hezbollah’s intelligence on Israel? Mrs. Kershner would only have to sit down and watch Hezbollah television for one day to come up with plenty of stories.

Hirsh Goodman, the spouse of New York Times correspondent Kershner speaks at a Zionist council in Australia. Via MondoWeiss

12 COMMENTS

Many thanks for an excellent analysis of the unethical nature of this NYT report. We should also bear in mind that between 1968 and mid-1982–WELL BEFORE THE CREATION OF HEZBOLLAH–there were 28 UN Security Council Resolutions denouncing Israeli hostilities against Lebanon and 143 Complaints to the UN detailing Israeli aggressions and lethal land, air and naval attacks on Lebanon. The Lebanese tried to resolve this belligerence through diplomacy. When those efforts proved futile, resistance was the only option.
For anyone interested in these topics, please see the recently published book “Hezbollah: An Outsider’s Inside View,” details at insidehezbollah dot com.

Tony, you also know the reason the Holocaust happened was Jews refusing to recognize the Aryan State while threatening to drive Germans into the sea. Deutschland hasbara experts proved that in movies like” The Eternal Jew.”

Right?

Plus Kristallnacht was provoked by a Chosenite who assassinated a German minister. Juden certainly learned when they messed with The Reich, Adolf, Inc. would respond appropriately.

It was only rabid antiteutons who blamed enlightened Gemrany for defending itself against attacks by others. Sane people knew the Warsaw War was justified. No nation can let trapped, starving people defy it. Besides, ghetto stones hurt.

Fortunately the world agreed that The Third Reich, ruling a sovereign nation, had to be left it alone. People knew the only solution was for Jews and Germans to sit down together and resolve things among themselves.

Besides, Germany was home to world-renown musicians, philosophers, architects, and so on. So what could go wrong? If Jews had not made trouble they wouldn’t haver suffered.

The PALESTINIANS are the descendants of HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. HOLOCAUST by the HEBREWS.
The Canaanites/Amorites/Philistines/Midianites/PALESTINIANS were in PALESTINE long before Israel was even thought of. The PALESTINIAN’s ancestors were there when ABRAHAM was thrown out of UR for pimping his wife as he is recorded doing two more times……. How else could Moses/Israel BRAG about exterminating/”SHOAHing” them !?!?!?!
Israel’s “claim” to Palestine is based entirely on War Crimes and GENOCIDE.

These passages are the foundation of Israel’s self written “deed” to the land of Palestine.
If they are not ALL true, then the entire “claim” to Palestine, in the book THEY WROTE, IS NOT TRUE.
Deuteronomy 3:18 and I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war.
Deuteronomy 7:16, 20:16 “And thou shalt consume all the peoples which the Lord thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them…thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth.”
Deuteronomy 15:6 “For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.”
KILL THE SICK and CRIPPLED
Numbers c.5 v.2-4
KILL HOMOSEXUALS
Leviticus c.20 v.13 well, really the whole chapter
KILL ALL DISSIDENTS:
Exodus c.32 v.27
Numbers c.11 v.1-2
Numbers c.16 all
Numbers c.21 v.5-6
Numbers v.26 v.10
KILL anyone who engages in “DIVERSITY” or “INTEGRATION”
Numbers v25 v.4-8
Deuteronomy c.14 v.2
DEHUMANIZE and then EXTERMINATE ALL NON-MEMBERS:
Numbers c.21 v.03 Canaanites
Numbers c.21 v.24 Amorites
Numbers c.21 v.33-35 Bashan
Numbers c.31 all Midianites
Numbers c.32 v. more Amorites
Deuteronomy c.2 v.34 People of Heshbon
Deuteronomy c.3 v.6 really the whole chapter. threescore cities
Joshua c.12 A list of victims of Israeli GENOCIDE
Where are THEIR “holocaust” Memorials!
OCCUPY YOUR VICTIM’S DWELLINGS/LAND
Numbers c.21 v.25
Numbers c.32 v.39
Numbers c.33 v.53
(just to name a FEW)
GENOCIDE CODIFIED IN THEIR RELIGION
Numbers c.33 v.31-34
Deuteronomy c.7 v.2
Deuteronomy c.12 v.28-30
Deuteronomy c.20 v.11-16
TERRORISM CODIFIED IN THEIR RELIGION
Deuteronomy c.2 v.2
Deuteronomy c.7 v.1
Jews SELF-anointed “The CHOSEN People of GOD”
Nazis SELF-anointed “The CHOSEN People of GENETICS”.
TODAY Israel states that it is creating “A PURE Jewish State”
YESTERDAY the Nazis were creating “A PURE German State”
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword . . . (Joshua 6:21)
For modern day reinforcement of these “rules” research/google “the KINGS TORAH”